2-year-old left in vehicle dies in Madison County

A 2-year-old girl is dead after being found unresponsive in a vehicle at a daycare in Gluckstadt.

According to Sheriff Randy Tucker, the mother thought she had taken her child to daycare before she went to work, and when she went to pick her up on Wednesday afternoon, daycare workers told her she hadn't dropped her off. The incident happened at Little Footprints Learning Center on 319 Distribution Drive.

"Obviously this is a very sad day. Circumstances are very tragic in this incident," Tucker said.

Tucker said when daycare workers told the mother that she had not dropped the child off, she ran to the car and found the toddler in the car.

Officials do not expect to press charges.

"At this point, based on what I know, it doesn't appear that there will be. It looks like a tragic accident. I can't see any way to look at it than that at this point, based on what we know," Tucker said.

The mother works at a local business, Tucker said, and her routine is to drop the child  at daycare and go to work. "Evidently she missed that step this morning," he said. "It's very unfortunate."

Tucker said police are still speaking to family members.

"We've put the file together based on what we've gathered and our beliefs, obviously it's got to go to the DA's office and they'll make a determination, but I can't see any way there would be a criminal action in the case," Tucker said.

Authorities have not released the name of the child or the parents.

"I would just like to ask everybody to pray for the family," Tucker said.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.